Safety belt



SAFETY BELT Filed July 17. 1923 O H 1v i O IQ W I I 7 gig/ 1 7 5 0 N l 1,2 i

Patented June 10, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD J. WALLACE, O'F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

SAFETY BELT.

Application filed July 17, 1923. Serial No. 652,192.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD J VVALLAon,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State those belts used by workmen on oil derricks and other lofty construction.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved belt which will admit of immediate unfastening in case of emergency; at the same time providing for secure holding of the belt about the workman.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved belt of this character in which the strain devolves upon heavy metallic framework which interlocks on the two ends of the belt and in this regard the invention departs materially from the present type of belt where the slide tongue of the usual buckle is obliged to assume great strain and weight.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully de scribed hereinafter, and will be more partic ularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughous the several views Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved safety belt constructed according to the present invention with the buckle detaehed.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the parts partially interlocked, and

Figure 3 shows the fully interlocked position of the parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 5 designates generally a belt of leather or other appropriate material consisting of the split band adapted to encircle the body of the workman. At 6 and 7 are represented shoulder straps attached at four points to the belt and crossing one another. These shoulder straps are found on the belts worn by workmen on oil derricks but it is obvious that the invention is-not restricted to this type of belt. At one end the belt is returned upon itself as shown at 8 and the parts are secured together as by the lacing or other fastening 9 to form a bight 10. In this bight is pivotally and loosely received a link 11 having a slot for cooperating with an in terlocking part at the other open end of the belt. This other open end of the belt is like- Wise provided with a piece 12 riveted or otherwise secured to the main body of the belt and having a bight 18. The bight 13 thus formed received a somewhat similar form of link 14 which is pivotally and loosely received within the bight, but the link further has a reduced eye 15 extending from its free side and in the same plane with the link. The e e is adapted to receive a small link 16 in wliich the slot extends at substantially right angles to the slot in the link 14.

The link 16 pivotally received the eye 17 projecting laterally from a slotted interlocking member 18, the member extending angularly from the link and preferably being slightly curved in order to facilitate its passage through the link 11.

The member 18 is provided with project ing ends 22 which prevent its passing all the way through the link 11. The pressure of the workmans body against the belt-will serve to push the member outwardly as far as permitted by the projecting ends 22.

The engagement or interlocking of these two parts is shown in Figures 2 and 3, where the member projects outwardly beyond the plane of the link 11 and offers its slotted portion for the insertion of the tongue 19. The tongue is wrapped about the link 20, which link engages loosely upon the small link 16 to which the member 18 is also loosely and pivotally secured. The tongue 19 may fit through the strap 21 as shown in Figure 3 although it is not necessary to have such strap as the tongue will be held in place by its engagement with the member 18.

One end of the belt preferably carries the overlapping tongue 22 which fits against the body and prevents the interlocking members or buckle parts from chafing the workman.

In use the belt may be quickly made to encircle the body and readily removed by withdrawing the tongue 19 from its engagement with the companion member 18. The member 18 on account of its curve member and on account of its connection with the link 1 6. by the angular eye 17 is readily in serted and removed from the link 11 and for this reason the device recommends itself particularly in cases of emergency where it is desirable to free the workman immediately. metallic as the greatest strain devolves on these parts, the tongue 19 being merely for purposes of security and for readily freeing the interlocked parts.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this in vention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is 1. A belt having a narrow slotted link pivotally mounted at one end, a link also pivotally mounted at the other end thereof,

a second link pivoted to the last mentioned link, a curved slotted member having a web projecting angularly therefrom with an eye received slidably and pivotally over said last mentioned link, said member adapted to fit through the first narrow mentioned link and having projecting ends for abutting against said first mentioned link, a and a tongue pivotally and slidably associated with said second link and adapted to pass through The link 11 and the member 18 are ble tongue having a longitudinally-1movable and pivotal connection with the belt and car ried at the end portion of the belt from which the member is supported, said tongue adapted to pass through the slot of said member and due to the narrow form of the link to engage the sides of the link and bind .the member in the link.

3. A safety belt connection comprising a link pivoted to one end portion of the belt andiha'ving .a narrow upright slot therein, a slottedmember loosely supported from the other end portion of the belt and fitting snugly in the narrow upright slot of the link, a flexible tongue loosely carried at one side of the link and member and adapted to be passed through the slot in the member and to engage against the sides of the link, and

means on the belt for confining the free end of the flexible tongue.

DONALD J. WALLACE. 

